Registering device for pool-tables.



B. L. EPSTEIN. REGISTERING DEVIGE FOR POOL TABLES.

APP-LIGATIOK rum) JULIB,1909.

1,000,245. Patented Aug. 8,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. B; L. EPSTEIN. BBGISTILBING DEVICE FOB. POOL TABLES. APPLICATION nun JULY 8,1909.

1,000,245, 7 anama Aug. 8,1911] B. L. EPSTEIN..

REGISTERING DEVICE FOR POOL TABLES.

APPLICATION FILED 1111.28, 190s.

3 SHEETS-31531. 8.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIl/I Ill/III, 'I/////////II/ IIIIIIIIIII/IIIJ if Z! wane/am Patented Aug. 8, 1911. i

BENJAMIN L. EPS'IEIN, OF HAMPTON, VIRGINIA.

REGISTERING DEVICE FOR POOL-TABLES.

Specification 0! Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Application filed July 8, 19.09. Serial No. 506,531.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, BENJAVIN L. EI'STEIN,

a citizen of the United States. residine at Hampton. in the eountv of Elizabeth (,ity, State of Virginia. have invented certain new and useful lmlu'ovements in Registering Des vices for ]ool-'.lables: and 1 do hereby do clarc the following to he a. full. clear, and exact description of the invention, suelr'as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to mate and'use the same.

This invention relates to pool tables and has special reference to a form of registering and recording mechanism for use with a pool table so that the number of games played can be :u-eurat'ely counted for any table equipped with this device.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved form of means for gathering the halls at-one end of such a table.

Another object. of the invention is to provide an improved device to hold the. balls in their pockets until manually released so that these balls may be removed and replaced upon the. table in the event of the player scratching. I

-J\ third object of the invention is to pro: vide a. novel form of rack adapted for use with such a registering lnechanisn'i.

A, fourth object of the invention ist'o provide a novel form of receptacle. for the rack so that the balls may be kcptprotceted from dust. and dirt when not in use.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of an improved form of registering mechanism arranged to retain a set of balls gathered by elintes extending from the pockets, together with means for retainin; the ballsinthe pockets until manually released therefrom, and other means for quickly racking the. balls when released from the registering mechanism.

The, invention further consists in certain novel details of construetioirand combinations of parts hereinafter fully. described, illustrated in the.- accouipanying drawings, andspecifieally set; forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, likc charactors of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and Figure 1 is a top plan view of a; pool table constructed in accordance with this invention, the body of the table being-removed in order to better dis close the working parts of said invention.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section of a table table.

constructed and equipped in accordance with this invention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail plan view of one of the pockets, the view be- 1H,! a section taken just'beloiv the bed of a the line 4t of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlargred detail view of the mechanism shown at the right hand end of Fig.' 2. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6. -G of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a detail front yelevation of the registering mechanism showing the same in position to release the balls. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section through the rack used with this invention. tary sectional view showing the register and actuatingmeans. i

The numeral 10 indicates the frame of a pool table of any ordinary construction, and this table is provided with the usual corner and side pockets from which extend-down ward chutes 11 having, inwardly and downwardly inclined portions .12 which lead,

.either directly or through other chutes, to a centrally disposed inclined chute--13. This,

chute 13 terminates at. the foot ofthe table, here shown asthe right hand end in Figs.

'1 and 2, in an enlarged ball receptacle -14=' provided with side and bottonr portions which extend beyond the top portion, and to this top portion. is hinged an angled closure 15 which covers the top and end of the projecting sides and bottom portions. This closure 15 is normally held in closed position and against opening by the pressnreef the. balls by means of suitable springs 1 Secured to the. top of this closure 15 adjacent the free edge of the top portion is a pull rod 17 which extends upward through a suitable guide 18 secnred to',.

the table frame, and this pull rod terminates in a handle port-ion 19 so that by reaching downward beneath the table. rail the handle may be grasped and the closure 15 opened to permit. the balls topass therefrom.

Mounted on the closure 1" is in. registering mechanism 20 which is preferably in the form of one of the devices known as revolution or stroke counters and the mechanism of which is not deemed necessary here to be shown as it is intended -to use someone of the devices now on themarket. As is well understood,. these vrevolution or stroke counters are provided with a series of-dials which are exposed throu h openings 21 and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on Fig. 9 is airagmem,

are actuated'by a. step y step -movement).

This step by step gnoyement' is commonly 110-.

register 20. It will now be obvious that whenever the balls are released by opening the closure 15, the register mechanism will be actuated bythe shutting of the closure and the game will thus be recorded "on the dials which are exposed through the open-- ings 21. In order to obviate the necessity of opening the receptacle 14 before the end of the game, below each of the pockets on the table and immediately adjacent thereto the chute 11 is provided with bearing bosses whercthrough passes a shaft 26 and on this shaft is held a-collar 27 from which projects a stem 28 carrving a. trap plate 29.

Surrounding the shaft 26 inside of the chute 11 is a. coil spring 30 which is so arranged as to normally hold the trap plate horizontal.. This spring 30 is of sullicient strength to prevent the dropping of the balls de fleeting the trap plate downward so that the ball is normally held above said trap plate and is accessible tothe player in the event that he desires to replace the same on the table as in the case of his scratching. In order to depress the trap plate 29 the shaft 26 projects through one of the bosses 25 and there is mounted on the outer end thereof an arm 31 which, at its free end, is equipped with a thumb plate 32 so that if a player has finishcdhis shots he depresses the thumb plate 32 and this causes the trap plate 29 to rotate downward and frees the ball, thus permitting it to run down the chutes into the receptacle 14.

In order to catch' the balls when they have been released from the receptacle 14. there is provided a sliding drawer 33 'which is mounted beneath the frame of the table and. this sliding drawer has its front wall provided with a suitable notch topermit the receptacle 14 passing therethrougha, The forward wall of this drawer is furthermore open at its lower part. asindicated at 34 for the reception of a rack hereinafter to be described, WVithin this drawer there is provided altriangular space 36 which is formed by the front wall of the drawer and apai of dra er,-the top faces of the blocks being V cli'n'ally arranged so that they slant ownward 'toward the triangular space 36. The rack used with this inv'cnlion consists of the usual triangular frame having sidr members 38 and a base member 29 but. in this instance the base member is of less depth than the side members, and these side blocks 37 on the bottom of the members are provided at their bottom edges with notches 40 for the reception of a bottom plate 41' which is slidably mounted within these notches and has its basal edge )rojectin beyond the relatively narrow base mcm )er 39. In order to retain the rack in position in the triangular space 36 the bottom of the drawer-33 is provided with a suitable spring catch 42which. when the rack is in position, rises behind said rack and prevents its accidental withdrawal 'or the accidental disengagcnnrnt of the bottom 41 from the notches 40.

In using this device the drawer is pnllcd out when the game begins so that the rack lies beneath the end of the receptacle 14, The players then shoot in the usualmanner and after each player has shot the balls are released from the pockets by depressing thg thumb piece 32 of those pockets which contain any balls thus permitting the balls to travel down into the receptacle l4. Whep the game has been won the handle 19 1s pulled and this crmi ts the balls to fall from the receptac e 14 into the rack, any of.

the balls which stril're the blocks ili'i'olling downward into the rack by reason of the inclination of'the surfacesiof these blocks. \Vhcn all of the-balls are freed from the receptacle the rack is remove'd by dcprt ssing the spring 42 and placed upon the table. If any otherballs remain on the table they are then placed in the rack and the bottom 41 drawn out, after which the balls may be spotted in the ordinary manner. Meanwhile the handle 19 has been released and the closure ,15 drawn shut by the springs 16. This, as previously described, causes the registering mechanism to be actuated and the game is indicated on the register. At

suitable intervals of time the register may he examined and compared with the receipts, thus acting as a check and insuring the payments for all games played. At the end of the final game all of the balls are rolled down the chutes and that game registered inthe usual inanner tho balls are allowed to remain .in the rack and the drawer closed shus protccting said balls fromdust and .irt. v. There has thus been provided a simple and eflicicnt device ofthe kind described and for the purpose specified.

-It is obvious that minor changes may.lie made in the form andconstruction of this invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the invention to the ex not form herein shown and described; but

it is wished to include all such as properly come within the scope of the app nded claims. Having thus dcscribrd the inventi n; what is claimed as new, is:--- p 1. In a pool table, a pocket, an inclined chute communicating with said pocket, a

closure hin ed to the discharge'end of said chute and orming a stop for balls in the chute, a spring holding said closure shut against opening by the pressure of said balls, a register on said closure, and means on said chute actuating said register upon movement of the closure to closed position.

balls in said closure, a spring holdinghsaid 2. In a pool table, a pocket, an inclined chute communicating with said pocket and terminating at its discharge end in a ball receptacle, the side and'bottom of which extends beyond the top portion thereof, an angular closure hinged at one end to the top portion and extending to the edges of said" side and bottom and forming a stop for closure against opening by the-pressure of balls, a register on said closure, and means on said chute actuating said register upon" movement: of the closure to closed position.

3. In a pool table, a pocket, a chute com municatiug with said pocket-,.a releasable valve-in said pocket forming-a closure for the intake end of said chute, an angular closure hinged to the discharge end of said chute and forming a stop for balls in said chute, a register on said angular closure, and means on said chute actuating said regis ter upon movement of the angular closure to. closed position. v 4. In a pool table, a pocket, a chute communieating withsaid pocket, a spring controlled valve in said pocket forming a 010- sure for the intake end of said chute, means for manually releasing said valve, a closure hinged at the discharge and of said chute and forming a stop for balls in said chute, a

spring normally holding said closure shut against opening by the pressure of said balls, 0

means'for manually opening said closure, a.

register on said closure, and means on said I chute actuating said register upon movement of the elos ire to closed position.

5. In a pool table, a pocket, a chute lead-r ing from the bottoln of the pocket, a shaft passing througli said chute adjacent the side theredf, a stop plate connected to said ,shaft to form a valve for said pocket, a

spring normally holding said stop plate' BEN; L. EPSTEIN.

Witnesses Isaac Kinsman,

H. H. Hon. 

